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District Attorney's Office

8-Year-Old Girl Shot Dead In Hanover Township Home (UPDATE) 8-Year-Old Girl Shot Dead In Hanover Township Home (UPDATE)
8-Year-Old Girl Shot Dead In Hanover Township Home (Update) An 8-year-old girl was fatally shot at a home on Fellows Avenue in Hanover Township early Monday, Dec. 9, authorities announced. The shooting occurred around 3 a.m., and an investigation is ongoing, police said. Hanover Township police, working with the District Attorney's Office and the Pennsylvania State Police, described the incident as an isolated case with no threat to the public. Details surrounding the circumstances of the shooting remain unclear. The girl's identity has not been released, and no further updates were immediately available as of 5:58 p.m. Monday. This is a …
PA Drug Dealer Sentenced After Fentanyl Ring Exposed: DA PA Drug Dealer Sentenced After Fentanyl Ring Exposed: DA
PA Drug Dealer Sentenced After Fentanyl Ring Exposed: DA A Philadelphia man linked to a fentanyl distribution network in Bucks County has been sentenced to state prison, authorities announced on Monday, Dec. 2, 2024. Brian Franklin, 25, was sentenced to seven to 14 years in state prison after pleading guilty to possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance before Bucks County Common Pleas Judge Charissa J. Liller, according to the District Attorney’s Office. Franklin was behind the supply of fentanyl pills disguised as oxycodone that had been flooding Bucks County since May 2021, investigators said and Daily Voice previously reported. …
Young NJ Mom's Accused Killer Shot By Philadelphia Police, Authorities Say Young NJ Mom's Accused Killer Shot By Philadelphia Police, Authorities Say
Young NJ Mom's Accused Killer Shot By Philadelphia Police, Authorities Say A man accused of killing a young New Jersey mother is in critical but stable condition after being shot by police during a tense confrontation in Philadelphia. Spencer Majett, 29, who has been charged with murder in the Tuesday, Oct. 8 killing of 23-year-old Felicity Vanatta of Salem, NJ, was injured after a police pursuit turned violent on Thursday, Nov. 7, police said. Officers Josue Reyes and Michael Trask encountered Majett in the city’s Kensington neighborhood. Upon recognizing him as a suspect, the officers attempted to stop him, prompting a foot chase along the 3100 block of Reach St…
'Suspicious' Voter Registration Forms In PA County Under Investigation: DA 'Suspicious' Voter Registration Forms In PA County Under Investigation: DA
'Suspicious' Voter Registration Forms In PA County Under Investigation: DA Some suspicious voter registration forms in Berks County are under investigation, according to District Attorney John Adams. "I want to be clear, these are voter registration forms — people's applications to vote," Adams said in a phone call with Daily Voice on Friday, Nov. 11. "These are not ballots." Adams confirmed that his office is investigating the suspicious forms, but he couldn't confirm the number or other details of the case. The Berks County Board of Elections referred about 1,300 suspicious voter registration forms to the district attorney's office on Thursday, Oct. 31, a …
Multiple PA Counties Investigating Suspected Fraudulent Voter Registrations: Officials Multiple PA Counties Investigating Suspected Fraudulent Voter Registrations: Officials
Multiple PA Counties Investigating Suspected Fraudulent Voter Registrations: Officials Three Pennsylvania counties are investigating possible voter registration fraud, as mail-in ballots are rapidly coming in.  Approximately 2,500 voter registrations dropped off at the Lancaster County Board of Elections could be fraudulent, the county commissions and County District Attorney Heather Adams announced at a joint press conference on Friday, Oct. 25. These applications were collected by paid canvassers during the summer at shopping centers, parking lots of grocery stores, other businesses, sidewalks, and parks in Lancaster County.  The registration applicatio…
Constable Charged After Leaving Loaded Gun In Pennsylvania Public Bathroom Constable Charged After Leaving Loaded Gun In Pennsylvania Public Bathroom
Constable Charged After Leaving Loaded Gun In Pennsylvania Public Bathroom A Lebanon County Constable has been charged after he left his gun in a public restroom, the District Attorney's office announced on Thursday, Aug. 29.  Lebanon County Constable James Drahovsky left his gun in the public restroom at the District Justice Office located at 502 State Drive on Monday, Aug. 26, Chief County Detective Jonathan Hess detailed in the affidavit of probable cause.  The 70-year-old left in the Glock 27 loaded with six 40 caliber bullets sometime between 1:37 and 1:44 p.m., Hess explained after watching the surveillance video footage. He left the offi…
PA Mom Charged With Attempted Homicide Of Baby, Prosecutors Say PA Mom Charged With Attempted Homicide Of Baby, Prosecutors Say
PA Mom Charged With Attempted Homicide Of Baby, Prosecutors Say A Lansford woman is accused of "causing significant harm" to her infant, said the Northampton County District Attorney's Office.  Abigail Horn, 18, is charged with attempted homicide, aggravated assault, and endangering the welfare of a child, prosecutors wrote in a release.  Witnesses told Bethlehem police in May that they saw Horn "smothering" the then-6-week-old child, according to authorities. Others said Horn caused the baby to "scream and gasp for air," and on a separate occasion, "squeezed the infant and caused the infant to scream in apparent pain." Photo evidence showed …
Coroner Names Woman Killed In Carbon County Crash Coroner Names Woman Killed In Carbon County Crash
Coroner Names Woman Killed In Carbon County Crash A Hazleton woman was killed in a Nesquehoning crash on Tuesday morning, July 23, officials say.  Angela De La Cruz Laureano, 46, was involved in a wreck on Route 93 and pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Carbon County Coroner's Office.  Her cause of death was multiple traumatic injuries resulting from a motor vehicle collision and the manner of death was ruled accidental, authorities said.  In addition to the Coroner's Office, Nesquehoning police and the District Attorney's Office are investigating, they added. 
Accused Killer To Stand Trial For Bucks Man's Stabbing Death: DA Accused Killer To Stand Trial For Bucks Man's Stabbing Death: DA
Accused Killer To Stand Trial For Bucks Man's Stabbing Death: DA The Philadelphia woman charged with murdering 72-year-old Richard MacFarland will stand trial, the Bucks County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday, July 18.  Meghan Macklin, 46, is accused of stabbing MacFarland to death in his Wrightstown home last Oct. 7, authorities said previously. She was arrested in Tennessee that night after allegedly fleeing Pennsylvania in MacFarland's car, prosecutors said.  In a preliminary hearing on Thursday, authorities presented video evidence, photos, and testimony from police to show that Macklin and MacFarland had a "friendly…
Details Emerge In Kensington Shooting Of Philadelphia Police Officer Details Emerge In Kensington Shooting Of Philadelphia Police Officer
Details Emerge In Kensington Shooting Of Philadelphia Police Officer The Saturday shooting that left a Philadelphia policeman in critical condition ended in a home invasion and barricade, city officials said at a Monday morning press conference.  Ramon Rodrguez Vazquez, 36, is charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and related offenses, said PPD and the District Attorney's Office.  Authorities said it began with an F Street traffic stop around 7:15 p.m. on June 22. Police stopped Rodriguez Vazquez's car and spoke with him for about 30 minutes as they inventoried his vehicle and prepared to have it towed.  While searching the car, on…
West Reading Man Charged After $65K+ Drug Bust: DA West Reading Man Charged After $65K+ Drug Bust: DA
West Reading Man Charged After $65K+ Drug Bust: DA A two-month investigation ended with the seizure of more than a kilogram of drugs and one arrest in Berks County, said the District Attorney's Office on Friday.  Eric Emilio Delacruz, 36, of West Reading, is charged with multiple counts related to drug trafficking, prosecutors said.  Police began investigating drug sales at 343 Chestnut Street in April, the DA's Office said. On Thursday, June 13, county detectives executed a search warrant and said they recovered:  735 grams of cocaine with a potential street value of $36,750 744 fentanyl pills with a potential street value…
Allentown Man Killed The Mother Of His Children, Lehigh Jury Finds Allentown Man Killed The Mother Of His Children, Lehigh Jury Finds
Allentown Man Killed The Mother Of His Children, Lehigh Jury Finds A Lehigh County jury convicted Rami Abouloh for the murder of Patricia White, with whom he had four children, the District Attorney's Office said Friday, May 31.  Abouloh, 41, is set to be sentenced in August. A conviction for first-degree murder is an automatic life sentence without the possibility of parole, according to prosecutors. Authorities were called to West Catasauqua Park just before 7 p.m. last June 13, Daily Voice reported. They arrived to find White, 35, unresponsive with multiple gunshot wounds.  Her death was ruled a homicide by the county Coroner's Offi…
Convicted Quakertown Rapist To Spend Nearly 50 Years In Prison, DA Says Convicted Quakertown Rapist To Spend Nearly 50 Years In Prison, DA Says
Convicted Quakertown Rapist To Spend Nearly 50 Years In Prison, DA Says A Quakertown man was sentenced on Tuesday, May 28 for sexually assaulting two children, according to the District Attorney's Office.  Matias J. Martinez Morales will spend between 18.5 and 47 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release, prosecutors said in a release.  Authorities said they launched the investigation in November 2022 when a 16-year-old told Quakertown police that Martinez Morales raped her when she was 4. The victim told detectives he "threatened to kill her and her family if she told anyone," the DA's Office said.  A second victim told …
Bristol Man Pleads Guilty To 4-Month-Old Son's Murder: DA Bristol Man Pleads Guilty To 4-Month-Old Son's Murder: DA
Bristol Man Pleads Guilty To 4-Month-Old Son's Murder: DA Tyler Sullivan pleaded guilty to the third-degree murder of his infant son in a Bucks County court on Wednesday, May 29, according to the District Attorney's Office.  Authorities have said they were called to Sullivan's Radcliffe Street home in Bristol last May 25 to find his 4-month-old son Timothy was "not breathing and cold to the touch." Officers performed life-saving measures but eventually took the baby to Lower Bucks Hospital where he died.  Medical staff at the hospital said the boy's injuries were "indicative of a battered child" — he suffered "contusions, bruising, and …
Elderly Couple Dies In Murder-Suicide: Lehigh County Coroner Elderly Couple Dies In Murder-Suicide: Lehigh County Coroner
Elderly Couple Dies In Murder-Suicide: Lehigh County Coroner Officials are investigating an apparent murder-suicide in North Whitehall Township on Saturday, May 18, according to the Lehigh County Coroner's Office.  Authorities said 78-year-old Harvey H. Hartung shot his wife, 79-year-old Carol A. Hartung, before turning the gun on himself. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.  Pennsylvania State Police and the District Attorney's Office are investigating, Coroner Daniel A. Buglio added. 
Contractor Charged With Home Improvement Fraud In Monroe County, DA Says Contractor Charged With Home Improvement Fraud In Monroe County, DA Says
Contractor Charged With Home Improvement Fraud In Monroe County, DA Says A Monroe County contractor is accused of pocketing tens of thousands for work he didn't perform, officials say.  The District Attorney's Office said Garry Dobson is charged with home improvement fraud, deceptive business practices, and related counts.  According to prosecutors, a pair of homeowners gave Dobson a $45,000 deposit to build an addition to their home in June of 2022. Months went by without Dobson beginning the project, and when the homeowners eventually asked for their money back, authorities said Dobson refused.  Investigators said he spent the $45,000 on unrela…
Charges Filed In Lehigh Valley Cold Case, Prosecutors Say Charges Filed In Lehigh Valley Cold Case, Prosecutors Say
Charges Filed In Lehigh Valley Cold Case, Prosecutors Say Investigators in Lehigh County believe they have solved a 1989 homicide.  The District Attorney's Office will announce new charges in a press conference scheduled for Thursday, May 16 at 10 a.m.  "No further details will be provided until the news conference," prosecutors said. 
NJ Man Sentenced For Role In Deadly PA Robbery: Prosecutors NJ Man Sentenced For Role In Deadly PA Robbery: Prosecutors
NJ Man Sentenced For Role In Deadly PA Robbery: Prosecutors A New Jersey man will spend up to a decade in prison for the botched robbery that killed Kevin Rosero.  Joshua Gamble was sentenced to five to 10 years in a Bucks County court on Wednesday, May 1, the District Attorney's Office said in a release.  Authorities have said Joshua and Anthony Gamble stabbed 26-year-old Rosero nearly 30 times before trying to dump his body in a wooded area in Richland Township late on June 17, 2021. They were arrested that night when state troopers noticed their idling cars on the side of the road and found them hiding in the woods with a bl…
Pennsylvania Man Raped Child Under 9 Years Old: DA Pennsylvania Man Raped Child Under 9 Years Old: DA
Pennsylvania Man Raped Child Under 9 Years Old: DA A Reading man was convicted on multiple charges including involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child in a Lancaster County court this week, according to the District Attorney's Office.  Joel Villarreal, 44, was found guilty after one hour of jury deliberations, prosecutors said in a release.  Authorities said Villarreal abused a victim "on numerous occasions" between 2018 and 2020, when she was between 7 and 9 years old. The assaults happened at two addresses in Lancaster while he was "n a position to care for the victim," the DA's Office said.  “(The vict…
More Charges For Phony Montco Nurse Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Patients: DA More Charges For Phony Montco Nurse Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Patients: DA
More Charges For Ramon Garcia: Montco DA Prosecutors in Montgomery County have filed additional charges against medical assistant Ramon Garcia.  Garcia, 33, of Philadelphia, was previously accused of sexually assaulting patients under the guise of performing medical exams at Carbon Health on The Fairway in Jenkintown.  He is now charged with aggravated indecent assault, invasion of privacy, indecent assault without consent, harassment–lewd/lascivious acts, impersonating a license holder (nurse), wiretap violations for the illegal use of his cellphone, and possessing an instrument of crime, according to the…
BodyCam: Dauphin County Corrections Officer Leaves Woman In 'Puddle Of Blood', Affidavit BodyCam: Dauphin County Corrections Officer Leaves Woman In 'Puddle Of Blood', Affidavit
BodyCam: Dauphin County Corrections Officer Leaves Woman In 'Puddle Of Blood', Affidavit An affidavit of probable cause obtained by Daily Voice sheds new light on why a Dauphin County Corrections Officer has been charged in connection with "excessive use of force" at the county Judicial Center, as District Attorney Fran Chardo announced on Friday, March 29, 2024. Scott Petrasic, 34 of Harrisburg was charged with two misdemeanors for simple assault and official oppression, in connection with an "incident" on Feb. 24, as stated in the release. The charges come after a full investigation by Detectives from the Criminal Investigation Division of the District Attorney’s Office. The…
Video Evidence Exonerates 16-Year-Old For Deadly SEPTA Shooting, DA Says Video Evidence Exonerates 16-Year-Old For Deadly SEPTA Shooting, DA Says
Video Evidence Exonerates 16-Year-Old For Deadly SEPTA Shooting, DA Says A Philadelphia teen who was previously charged in the murder of Tyshaun Welles has been cleared of any wrongdoing, the District Attorney's Office says.  Zaire Wilson, 16, was arrested shortly after Welles was shot at the 15th Street SEPTA Station in Center City on Jan. 11, police have said.  Eighteen-year-old Quadir Humphrey was also taken into custody for the shooting in a separate arrest, authorities said at the time.  Now, the District Attorney's Office says SEPTA surveillance video shows Wilson "was clearly not involved in the shooting and murder of Welles." The vid…
3-Year-Old Dies From Gunshot Wound In Allentown: Authorities (UPDATED) 3-Year-Old Dies From Gunshot Wound In Allentown: Authorities (UPDATED)
3-Year-Old Dies From Gunshot Wound In Allentown: Authorities (Updated) A toddler has died after being shot in Allentown on Thursday afternoon, March 28, according to Allentown police and the Lehigh County Coroner's Office.  Police said the 3-year-old victim was shot around noon on the 900 block of East Hamilton Street. Responding officers rendered first aid and took him to Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest where he succumbed to his injuries around 12:45 p.m., authorities said.  His manner of death is pending an autopsy scheduled for Friday, March 29 at 8 a.m., Coroner Daniel Buglio said.  "My heart breaks for everyone involved in this tragic i…
Police Name Victim In Deadly Coatesville Shooting Police Name Victim In Deadly Coatesville Shooting
Police Name Victim In Deadly Coatesville Shooting One man was killed and another hospitalized after gunfire rang out in Coatesville on Wednesday, March 27, authorities say.  In a release, police said the shooting happened near Oak and Fulton streets around 2 p.m. Twenty-eight-year-old Drevon M. Echols of Coatesville was found dead in the roadway from "apparent gunshot wounds," authorities wrote.  Shortly after, police were called about a second gunshot victim near 1st Avenue and Martin Luther King Boulevard. The 23-year-old man was taken by ambulance to Paoli Hospital, CPD said.  Investigators believe he "was connected…
19-Year-Old Convicted For Temple Student's 2021 Murder: Prosecutors 19-Year-Old Convicted For Temple Student's 2021 Murder: Prosecutors
Samuel Collington Murder: Latif Williams Convicted, DA Says Latif Williams shot and killed Samuel Collington while he unloaded his car in 2021, a Philadelphia court has found.  Williams, 19, was convicted of third-degree murder and related counts following a one-day, said the District Attorney's Office in a release.  Investigators have said Collington, a 21-year-old political science student at Temple University, was the victim of an attempted robbery near campus on Nov. 28, 2021. He was shot twice in the chest during the struggle and later died at an area hospital, according to police.  Collington, a Prospect Park native, was set to…
'I'm Going To Kill You': Lancaster Man Strangled Woman In Front Of Her Daughter, Court Finds 'I'm Going To Kill You': Lancaster Man Strangled Woman In Front Of Her Daughter, Court Finds
'I'm Going To Kill You': Lancaster Man Strangled Woman In Front Of Her Daughter, Court Finds A Lancaster City man was convicted of punching a woman, slamming her into a wall, and then strangling her in front of her own daughter, according to the District Attorney's Office.  Jurors returned a guilty verdict against Roberto Cruz-Aviles last Friday, Feb. 9 following a two-day trial, prosecutors said.  Authorities said the assault happened at a Willow Valley Drive home in West Lampeter Township on Aug. 23, 2022. The victim told the court that "seeing her daughter witnessing the attack gave her the strength to fight Cruz-Aviles off," the DA's Office said.  The victi…
Former Youth Skateboarding Instructor Assaulted 6 Children, Philly Court Finds Former Youth Skateboarding Instructor Assaulted 6 Children, Philly Court Finds
Philly Skateboard Instructor Rodney Watkins Convicted An ex-youth skateboard instructor in Philadelphia was convicted of assaulting six child victims in a city court on Thursday, Feb. 8, according to the District Attorney's Office.  Rodney Watkins, 55, was originally charged in December 2020 after adults alleged that he abused them as children in 2011 and 2012, said prosecutors in a release.  Five more adult complainants contacted authorities after those first charges were made public, the DA's Office said.  Investigators said Watkins was the founder of a traveling youth skateboarding team called Powerfulnailya and that he "was…
Woman Dies After Fall At PA Prison, Investigation Launched: DA Woman Dies After Fall At PA Prison, Investigation Launched: DA
Woman Dies After Fall At PA Prison, Investigation Launched: DA Authorities are investigating after an inmate fell to her death at the Monroe County Correctional Facility, according to the District Attorney's Office.  The unnamed 42-year-old woman fell from an "upper tier" at the prison early Sunday morning, Feb. 4, and was badly injured, officials said. She died hours later at Lehigh Valley Hospital-Pocono, DA Mike Mancuso wrote in a statement.  "Detective Mario Orlando of my office along with members of the Pennsylvania State Police are investigating the death," Mancuso said.  County Coroner Tom Yanac has ordered an autopsy, he added.&…
New Video Emerges In Deadly Philadelphia Police Shooting New Video Emerges In Deadly Philadelphia Police Shooting
Alexander Spencer Shooting: PPD Releases New Footage Authorities have released new video of the police killing of 28-year-old Alexander Spencer in North Philadelphia last Friday, Jan. 26.  Spencer was shot dead during a scuffle with police at Jennifer Tavern, 2859 N. Mascher St., around 9 p.m., Daily Voice reported. Police claimed he had shot one officer in the leg before they killed him.   PPD and the District Attorney's Office unveiled a five-minute compilation of security footage from inside the store at a press conference on Tuesday morning, Jan. 30.  (Warning: Graphic content; viewer discretion is advised.) …
NJ Man Trying To Meet PA Middle Schooler Gets Prison Time, DA Says NJ Man Trying To Meet PA Middle Schooler Gets Prison Time, DA Says
NJ Man Trying To Meet PA Middle Schooler Gets Prison Time, DA Says A New Jersey man will spend up to a dozen years in a Pennsylvania state prison after authorities say he tried to meet with a middle schooler for sex.  Steven Boutte, 53, of Burlington, was convicted in December for involuntary deviate sexual intercourse with a child, criminal attempt to commit statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, and related counts, said the Bucks County District Attorney's Office.  Investigators said Boutte began a conversation with someone he believed to be a 13-year-old girl on a dating app in December 2022. He engaged in a "very sexual…
Teen's Accused Killer Charged On 22nd Birthday, Philadelphia DA Says Teen's Accused Killer Charged On 22nd Birthday, Philadelphia DA Says
James Adams Charged In 2021 Murder Of Tyron Rozier: DA A Philadelphia man is charged with the 2021 murder of a 17-year-old boy.  James Adams is also accused of robbery and evidence tampering, said the District Attorney's Office on Jan. 8, Adams' 22nd birthday.  Authorities believe Adams shot Tyron Rozier in the back on West Sedgley Avenue near Reyburn Park late on July 4, 2021. City police found Rozier at the scene about an hour later and he died from his wounds, prosecutors said.  A tip to police, "digital and forensic techniques," and assistance from federal agencies helped identify Adams as a suspect, the DA's Office sai…